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JMJB mentor Rahman evades probing eyes

Julfikar Ali Manik
Although the government at long last has launched a crackdown on Islamist militants, it is yet to take any initiative to arrest Moulana Abdur Rahman, the brains behind the banned Jagrata Muslim Janata, Bangladesh (JMJB).
While Bangla Bhai, the operations commander of JMJB, is now on a wanted criminals' list, the organisation's 'shaekh' (spiritual leader) Abdur Rahman has managed to keep himself clear of police targets,
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and is safely running his organisation from his base at Jamalpur Madrasa, sources said.
A former Jamaat activist, Rahman's identity as the JMJB chief was exposed by an investigation report run by The Daily Star in May 2004. But the government did not take any move responding to the news.
Rahman's name along with those of Bangla Bhai and Rajshahi University teacher Asadullah Al Galib repeatedly came out in confessional statements made by a number of militants arrested in the northern districts in recent months.
The arrestees also confessed that the recent bomb attack in Jamalpur was planned at a local madrasa and executed as directed by JMJB chief Rahman.
In an interview with The Daily Star last May, Rahman admitted that he has secretly been operating the JMJB since 1998. He also said that he did not want to go public, but the Bangla Bhai controversy forced him to go to Rajshahi to tackle the situation.
Rahman came out in public when Bangla Bhai allegedly sheltered by several BNP lawmakers led a killing mission in Rajshahi, Natore and Naogaon region early last year.
Born in Charshi village in Sadar upazila of Jamalpur district, Rahman overtly runs a madrasa named Al-Madina Islamic Cadet Madrasa and a mosque in Jamalpur. Saudi non-government organisation Rabeta-e-Islam and another NGO named Islami Oitijjho Sangstha provided him with the financial assistance to establish those institutions.
He claimed that the JMJB is headquartered in Dhaka, but he refused to disclose the address. "When the time comes, we will inform you," Bangla Bhai, accompanying Rahman during the interview, had said.
JMJB has trained some 10,000 full-time activists across the country and it spends up to Tk 7 lakh on them a month, Rahman said. Majlish-e-Shura is the highest decision making body of the organisation. Rahman is the amir while Bangla Bhai is one of seven members of the Shura.
The members and supporters are split into three tiers. The first tier has activists called Ehsar, who are recruited on a full-time basis, and act at the directive of higher echelons, he added. The second tier,
Gayeri Ehsar, has over one lakh part-time activists while the third one involves those who indirectly cooperate with the outfit.
"We divided the country into nine organisational divisions," Rahman said adding that Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Chittagong each has a divisional office.
Rahman's father late Moulana Abdullah Ibne Fazal was a member of Jamiatul Ahle Hadith, which is now led by arrested RU teacher Galib. Moulana Fazal was accused of collaborating with the Pakistani forces during the Liberation War of 1971.
During his student life, Rahman joined Islami Chhatra Shibir and later Jamaat-e-Islami. In the early 1980s, he studied at Madina Islami University in Saudi Arabia and worked at the Saudi Embassy in Dhaka for five years since 1985.
He travelled to many countries including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Malaysia.
He renamed Jama'atul Mujahidin Bangladesh as Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) after a fight between his disciples and the police at JMB's secret training camp in Joypurhat in August 2003. In the wake of the encounter, police arrested his brother Ataur Rahman Ibne Abdullah along with 18 other militants. But a few days later, they were released while the higher authorities transferred several police officials reportedly for being involved in the arrests.
The government on February 23 banned both JMJB and JMB for alleged involvement in bomb attacks and other subversive acts.